VIP protection officer’s son pleads guilty to culpable homicide in North West court

The teenage son of a SAPS VIP Protection Unit officer has pleaded guilty to culpable homicide nearly three years after a deadly crash in Brits in the North West.

The 19-year-old boy is accused of being responsible for the crash that claimed the life of Patrick Jewell (65), who died nearly three weeks after the collision on September 21, 2021.

According to a statement by AfriForum, the teenager, who was allegedly on a joyride in his father’s SUV when the crash happened, appeared in the Brits Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

“He pleaded guilty to culpable homicide and driving without a licence,” says AfriForum.

The teenager was 16 at the time of the incident.

“The accused accepted full responsibility for his actions and acknowledged that his reckless driving caused the crash and death of Jewell,” says AfriForum.

AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit represents Jewell’s daughter Jacky Jewell, who approached the unit for help due to the police’s alleged failure to investigate the case.

“The teenager’s father is a captain in the SAPS VIP Protection Unit. It was alleged that the failure to investigate the case was the result of police officers covering for their colleagues,” says AfriForum.

The accused approached the National Prosecuting Authority in April, requesting that his case be referred for diversion rather than trial. If diverted, the accused would not have a criminal record.

“The unit assisted Jacky in opposing the application due to the serious nature of the offence. The accused pleaded guilty after the prosecutor informed the court that his diversion application had been rejected.

“The unit’s investigator Chris Gouws was the driving force behind the matter being properly investigated and enrolled for prosecution. Gouws filed two service complaints against police officials before the SAPS took the matter seriously,” says AfriForum.

Jacky described the guilty plea as ‘a huge weight being lifted off her shoulders’.

“I can’t describe this feeling. Justice has been done for my dad. I am so grateful for AfriForum’s support, Chris Gouws in particular who pushed through and never let go. Eventually, my dad mattered, so there is justice for him,” she says.

Barry Bateman, spokesperson for the unit, says the accused’s decision to plead guilty was the right thing to do.

“We are satisfied that the accused has accepted responsibility for killing Jewell. His conduct left a family without a father and grandfather and caused untold emotional hurt… But it should never have taken three years to reach this point.

“Jacky and her family have been yearning for justice, that would never have been served if the Private Prosecution Unit had not intervened. It’s another sign of a failing system, and a callous disregard for the victims of crime,” says Bateman.

The court postponed the matter to June 26 for sentencing.